Healthcare practitioners routinely must clean the external ear and ear canal of patients either to prepare for a procedure or as part of a protocol for a patient during a routine visit. Typically, a fluid such as but not limited to water or alcohol is utilized to attempt to dislodge materials or wax build-up that may be present in the ear canal. Current devices that are routinely utilized by healthcare practitioners to clean the external ear and ear canal have shown to have significant limitations and design flaws that can cause damage to the patient's tympanic membrane.
One problem with current devices utilized to clean the external ear and ear canal is that the devices utilize positive pressure to inject the fluid into the ear canal. Current technology often utilized is an adapted syringe device having a plunger that is depressed to inject the fluid into the ear canal. It is assumed that the fluid injected into the ear canal will dislodge the materials and that as the fluid exits the ear canal via drainage that the materials will be included therein. This method is significantly flawed for many reasons. First, the velocity at which the fluid enters the ear canal depends upon the force applied to the plunger. This method most often results in the fluid either entering the ear canal at a velocity that is not sufficient enough to dislodge the materials or at a velocity that contains too much force thereby potentially damaging the tympanic membrane of the patient.
Additionally, the cleaning process provides no manner in which to direct or control the fluid subsequent its discharge. Typically with current conventional technology ensuing the injection of the fluid, the fluid will drain out of the ear without means to collect. Furthermore, the use of positive pressurized fluid injected into the ear canal has shown in some cases to further impact the material into the ear canal.
Accordingly, there is a need for an ear cleaning device that does not utilize positive pressure to inject fluid into the ear canal and further includes a means to capture the fluid as it exits the external ear and wherein the ear cleaning device utilizes negative pressure to accomplish the task of cleaning the ear canal.